Zion Drug Dealer Gets 28 Years for Drug-Induced Death of Young Algonquin Woman

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL - A 36-year-old Zion man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for selling the heroin to a local couple that lead to the overdose death of a 21-year-old Algonquin woman, the Northwest Herald reports.

James Linder was sentenced on Thursday after a jury found him guilty earlier this year on a drug-induced homicide charge.

• Zion Man Found Guilty of Drug-Induced Homicide of Algonquin Woman

Danielle Barzyk, 21, died after her boyfriend, Cody N. Hillier, bought one gram of heroin from Linder on Jan. 30 and Hillier and Barzyk used the drugs at least three times, the Northwest Herald reports. Just after 1 a.m., Barzyk told Hillier she was having trouble breathing and needed medical help.

Hillier took the young woman to the Algonquin Village Hall where emergency responders found Barzyk unconscious. She was immediately transported to the hospital and died of heroin intoxication, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said in a news release.

“Dealing heroin is akin to dealing death,” said Kenneally in the news release following Linder’s January conviction. “We will continue to seek extended prison terms for drug dealers whose product kills someone in this community.”